Ilaria Salis, an Italian ‘anti-fascist’ who is going on trial next month for taking part in a series of violent attacks in Budapest in February last year, has been nominated as a candidate in the European elections for the Greens and Left Alliance.
Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini has previously called out the hypocrisy of the Left for attempting to circumvent the judicial system of another country, telling La Repubblica:
The Left always tells us that we have to respect the judiciary, so let them also respect the Hungarian judiciary.
Salis has spent 13 months in a Hungarian jail for violently assaulting people after they had taken part in the ‘Day of Honour’ event, an annual neo-Nazi gathering that was banned by Hungarian authorities in 2022.
Should she win a seat in Brussels, the 39-year-old could potentially gain parliamentary immunity and thus obtain release from prison.
Her nomination has been confirmed by Greens and Left Alliance MEPs Nicola Fratoianni and Angelo Bonelli, who have entered into an agreement with her father, Roberto Salis.
In a statement, they said they wanted to “protect the rights and dignity of a European citizen,” and also criticized the Italian authorities for “inertia” in obtaining her release from jail.
Salis’ case first came to public attention in late January last year, when the Italian left-wing extremist appeared in a Budapest courtroom with a disturbing grin on her face
Concurrently, Italian media claimed she and her cellmate were being mistreated in the Hungarian jail.
Hungarian authorities rejected the accusation, but Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani summoned the Hungarian ambassador for a conversation.
However, Tajani later warned left-wing politicians against turning the case into a political issue. In February this year, he told the Italian parliament that Italy must respect international law and the Hungarian judicial system. He added that Italy would not request that Salis be placed under house arrest as it would be a security risk to accommodate her at the Italian embassy.
Some on the European Left have been eager to exploit the situation, turning her into a martyr for the movement, while turning a blind eye to the violent crimes she is accused of.
Even if elected, it is not certain that Salis would be eligible for immunity, nor automatically freed.
If the Hungarian authorities do not want to release her, they could submit a request to the EU Parliament to waive her immunity.
Any final decision would rest with the (admittedly ideologically biased) European Court of Justice.